Camera you, camera me

(L-R) Geramil Cordero, Melchor Daniel, Jr., Ryan Li,
Joel Diccion and Jude Montejo.

About a year and some months ago, I wrote a piece on buying a digital camera. “Five quick tips,” it said. One was about determining what you really need. Two was about choosing the mainstream brands. And so on.

I cannot ultimately say that people read my article (probably not, I had a few readers counting myself), but in over a year, more and more people are buying these little gadgets faster than you can say, “Say, cheese, one, choo, three!”

You can find cameras everywhere – in schools, at the malls, on the streets, at birthday parties, in a church. Yes, even those guests who are rudely walking out of the wedding reception immediately after quickly finishing their dinner, also brought cameras with them – taking pictures of themselves grabbing some giveaways on the way out.

Untitled #001

A few of us Lifestyle Bohol team members have quietly left this publication a few years back – and for different valid enough, of course, reasons. But, some readers did not get the memo and continued on assuming we still worked the shift. I’d occasionally meet a few of them and would point out that they knew me – the bald Lifestyle guy – from the staff box photos we used to have here. I, stuck with the apparent fame, would flash a casual grin and utter a shyly “Yeah, I’m him.”

I would not explain myself. The story of my parting is boring and uninspiring. Plus, I actually liked being associated with the paper! In fact, Lifestyle Bohol – Photographer/Designer, my CV would say. I am proud to have had toiled alongside the gang – Chris, Jasper, Vida, Liza, Sonieta, Mitzi, Paul, Michael & AMB. I have learned a lot on the process.

Now, I’m back and this time with a proper column. A photography column, in fact.

Since its inception (second inception actually), Lifestyle Bohol boasted of sharply written articles and superb photography. Christopher Ramasola (congratz, new dad!), our team photographer and creative director had an uncanny vision for creating superb images for every issue. I sat around and absorbed a few tricks.